Picea rubens (mature trees appear to be approximately 100 years old) forms a somewhat closed canopy - although there are still some wide light gaps between crown. Wind throw gaps full of spruce saplings. A very dense shrub layer (<1.5 m tall) of Vaccinium erythrocarpum is continuous under this canopy. Somewhat dry-mesic site, at least no spring seeps or muck observed. This is an upland spruce forest. Ground cover dominated by moss and liverwort - Bazzania trilobata, Dicranum sp. Etc. Occasional Dryopteris spinulosa cf. and Oxalis montana - but sparse. Soils appear thin and rocky. Community is on the shoulder and up to the summit of mountain. Very nice!
Representativeness
A rare community for WV and ecoregion! Size >60 hectares, full extent uncertain.
Overall Taxon Cover Values are Automatically Calculated?
no
Plot Quality Fields:
Plot Validation Level
(2) classification plot: sufficient for inclusion in a classification revision
Floristic Quality
complete
Bryophyte Quality
partial
Overall Plot Vegetation Fields:
--no data--
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Picea rubens - Betula alleghaniensis / Vaccinium erythrocarpum / Bazzania trilobata forest; Land managers should be made aware of community significance. Boundary on hard-copy topo map only a general reference to community location. This was surveyed as part of joint WestVaCo/TNC inventory project 2000/2001.
